Dani Pedrosa

A spectacular setting for a race, aided in no small part by money from Mazda

This Ducati will be wearing the same number in 2011

And this rider will have an old teammate next door to him again

Q: What happened?

Dani Pedrosa: I hit a bump. I was entering with the brake and I hit a bump with the front wheel, and I just lost the front.

Q: What does this mean for the championship? Can you still catch Jorge?

Broken leg and duff shoulder or not, Rossi was on it in the US

Andrea Dovizioso could not translate his front-row start into a top-three finish

Dreaming of a three-peat one day

Jorge Lorenzo groks the internet. So do the 500 people who posted their photos on his bike through the Fiat On The Web initiative

Out of the shadows rode a hero: Monster Tech 3 Yamaha's Ben Spies

Dani Pedrosa lost out in the Repsol Honda battle, finishing behind Andrea Dovizioso on Friday

The madness which unfolded at yesterday's press conference heralded the return of Valentino Rossi into the paddock. Rossi's return to the track was, by comparison, relatively ordinary, or perhaps we had just forgotten what he standard level of hype and fascination Rossi generates any time he is at a racetrack.

After worming his way through a wall of photographers, all desperate to capture his first meters back on the Fiat Yamaha M1, Rossi rolled out onto the Sachsenring circuit, and quickly demonstrated that no, his return had not been too early. Rossi led the timesheets early, and spent most of the session in the top five, before slipping down the order to finish the day in 7th.

"I'm happy because I feel quite good on the bike. This is the most important thing," Rossi said after practice. He was helped by the track, Rossi explained: "It has a lot of left corners, so it's a good track to come back."

Nicky Hayden, undeterred and still sporting a faux-hican

Alvaro Bautista got the factory ride he wanted. And more

Andrea Dovizioso has had an extraordinary season in 2010

MotoGP's next rock star: Marco Simoncelli

With MotoGP now one third through its 18 race season, the effect of the engine-life regulations - restricting each MotoGP rider to just 6 engines throughout the entire season - is starting to become clear. The latest engine information list - assembled by IRTA and MotoGP Technical Director Mike Webb, and distributed (if you can call it that) by Dorna - provides an interesting perspective on the impact the regulations are having, and how the factories have approached the problems posed by limited engines.

The clear winner that emerges from the list is surely Honda. Of their six riders, three (Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, and San Carlo Gresini's Marco Simoncelli) have used just two engines, and not had to have a third engine officially sealed. Dovizioso and Simoncelli have distributed their races equally, with three races on each of the two engines, while Dani Pedrosa has four races on his number 1 engine, and just two on his number 2 engine.

The last of Michel Hulshof's race-day photos from Assen. If you like these shots, or would like prints of his photos, you can contact Michel through his website at http://www.sports-photography.org/. You can also follow @ProNikon on Twitter.

Can't keep a good man down: LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet

The very definition of Fast: Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner

Andrea Iannone demonstrates how well balanced the FIMMCO SpeedUp bike is: Hard on the brakes, and the rear is still on the tarmac

Yet more stunning images from the camera of Michel Hulshof, shooting his home Grand Prix at Assen. You can see more at http://www.sports-photography.org/ 

Compare and contrast: Dani "Mr Smooth" Pedrosa

... Toni "Wild Man" Elias

I can save this, I can save this, I can save this ...

Q: Are you happy with your setup for tomorrow?

Dani Pedrosa: Yes, pretty much.

Q: Like everyone, you haven't decided which tire to use yet?

DP: Yes, it's a tricky decision! Because now we were most of the time running with the soft tire, but then we tried the harder one. It's difficult to judge right now, because at the end with a soft tire, you improve a lot with the lap time, so it's not an easy decision. I think we have to see the weather tomorrow, to see if it's warmer.

Q: Do you think the soft tire has the life?